Hurricane Sandy victims to play flag football at Rutgers' spring game

The feel-good story of the day comes out of New Jersey, where Rutgers announced Thursday that it will give 22 local students affected by Hurricane Sandy the opportunity to play a flag football game at the Scarlet Knights' spring game on Saturday, April 27. The students will play the final five minutes of the annual Scarlet-White game, with their play affecting the final score.

Rutgers is selecting the students in a contest of essays and photos, which can be submitted through a special Facebook page. Selected children will spend the second half of the game on the sidelines of High Point Solutions stadium with their respective teams.

Rutgers fans attending the game can donate $5 to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund at the gate, and the team will wear special jerseys sporting the names of 90 towns across New Jersey affected by Sandy. The jerseys will later be signed by head coach Kyle Flood and given to each town. The Scarlet Knights will also wear special helmets with an "R Strong" logo.

Rutgers has made efforts to honor and support victims of Hurricane Sandy since the storm hit, including selling more than $61,000 worth of "R Strong" T-shirts since last fall. Rutgers athletics also raised $10,000 for the Jersey Shore chapter of the American Red Cross by collecting at the team's game against Army last November.